Keys to Cooking a Crisp Crust on a Pizza Stone
Baking a pizza on a stone is a traditional method of cooking this Italian dish. The idea is that the stone holds the heat a lot better, and due to its porous nature, draws the moisture out of the dough and toppings. Create this effect at home by putting a pizza stone in your oven and cooking the pizza on it; but there are a few tricks to ensure that you end up with a crispy crust. Does this Spark an idea?
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Type of Stone
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Terra-cotta is the best type of stone to use for cooking pizza, as the natural clay is very porous. Although it is called stone baked, the terra-cotta stone used for pizza is actually a tile. Do not to use a glazed tile, as this removes the porous nature of the stone, which is essential in drawing out the moisture.
Preheating
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Heat the stone before you put the pizza on it. This means that the bottom of the crust will instantly start to crisp when you put it on the stone. Put the stone in the oven on the highest setting for at least 10 minutes before you start to cook the pizza.
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Seasoning the Stone
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Sprinkle some cornmeal on the stone before you put the pizza on it. This will stop the pizza from sticking. The cornmeal will also help dry the bottom of the pizza by absorbing water, which will make the pizza crispy. Never put oil on the stone, as there is enough in the dough itself.
Pre-Baking
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Cook the dough for a little while without any toppings. This will allow the dough to become crisp before the moisture in the toppings can ruin it.
Cooling
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Allow the pizza to cool once you remove it from the oven to give the crust extra crunch. Take the pizza off the hot stone and place it on a cool surface before serving it.
Toppings
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Never put overly-moist toppings on a pizza. Any extra water -- especially in vegetables -- will seep into the dough and make it soggy. Ensure that all vegetables, and all other toppings are as dry as possible before putting them on the pizza.
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References
- Photo Credit Thomas Northcut/Lifesize/Getty Images
